From Churches to Homes: Tiffany’s Religious Art

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Eve Kahn
Rainbow satin glass salt and pepper shakers in striped patterns, produced during the first half of the 20th century.
NEW YORK---Religious works by Louis Comfort Tiffany are becoming secular attractions. In recent months, important windows and objects have been shipped from houses of worship to auction salesrooms (achieving five- and six-figure prices) and then to homes and museum galleries.Churches selling commissioned Tiffany pieces to pay the bills are not, of course, ideal for scholarship and preservation. But high-profile sales do bring positive attention to Tiffany’s design legacy. [link]
  • In March, a gilded metal chandelier, about six feet tall and fringed with green and opal glass bars from a Presbyterian church in Binghamton, N.Y., was sold to Allen Michaan.
  • In May, an 1890s jeweled Tiffany cross, about four feet tall, was sold to the Chicago investor Richard H. Driehaus. The cross originally stood in an Episcopal church in Manhattan. 
  • In June, an 1890s free-standing screen from the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn was also sold to a private collector.

Comments

As long as they find good home, whether in private homes or congregations, the works survive. That's what is most important, and one day they may return to public space for us all to enjoy. For now, they service a more private desire and need.
Ginger said…
Although I agree with Ernest, I struggle with the inherent disconnect of religious institutions owning works of art that are or could be sold for exorbitant amounts. What is the true value? Should dollars be raised to alleviate problems, should the works be in museums for all to see? It's definitely a difficult issue with no clear cut answers.
Ginger really nails the difficulty of the issue of access. It's one that bothers me most about the sale to private collectors. In contrast to even the few museums where admission is free, including the Indianpolis Museum of Art, congregations remain the most accessible places for the masses to experience exceptional religious-themed works such as these created by Tiffany. Should churches sell works to help the poor? Should the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts be sold to help their desperately poor city? I think we should always go back to original intent, and the original intent for these congregations as well as the DIA in collecting was to deepen a human connection via the creative arts. When institutions betray that original intent, however well intentioned at the time, they lose just as much as the community they serve.